"Raz" is the brainchild of Richard Roos, who after two successful solo
albums, decided to gather some of his colleagues and form a band. Thus,
percussionist R. J. Raven, bass player Tim Archibald, and keyboardist Steve Hunt joined Randy and his jazz guitar stylings to produce "RAZ."

The purpose of this project was to approach jazz classics in a new way.
Roos says," People have a standard way of playing jazz numbers: play the
melody, show off your instrumental prowess for twenty minutes, play the melody quickly again at the end, and stop." RAZ attempts to take a new direction by working with the melody - giving it a new groove throughout rather than using it simply as a springboard to soloing. The results are impressive.

From the opening of "Softly As A Morning Sunrise," with the chirping of
birds in the background, we are whisked away by the smooth and innovative sounds of the band. Each verse expands upon, or slightly alters, the texture, noticeable yet not disconcerting to the ear. The solo's are played over the melody rather in place of it.

Cole Porter's classic "Night And Day" was done more than justice as first
Tim's bass plays us the melody, then is joined by Randy's guitar, never
straying from the central theme, but giving it a smoky sultry feel that opened new avenues for enjoyment of this favorite of mine. "Dindi" is simply smooth and pleasant, while "Afro Blue" offers funky keyboard solos, and at times seems to hint of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes."

"How Insensitive" is anything but, as Roos' guitar dances lightly
across the melody. The only original composition on the album is Roos'
"Nightwalking," and he uses vocal chanting as another instrument to offer a slightly eerie background feel on this darker but intriguing cut. The next two cuts, "Angel Eyes" and "My Romance," once again feature the guitar in softer excursions that don't stand out, but just fall comfortably on the ear.

Thelonius Monk's "Epistrophy" has more free form experimentation than
the rest of the pieces, and the final track, a dance mix of "Afro Blue," is my favorite cut on the album. A lot more percussive and faster, it gets the
fingers tapping on the chair arm, and Hunt's keyboard rovings are more
electronic, but also more likely to appeal to techno fans. It would be easy to envision this as a song in a dance club. It makes you wonder what a whole album of dance mixes might sound like.

"RAZ" is jazz in its smoothest, tonal form. By working with the
melodies, Roos has better captured the flavor of the various pieces, enhancing them with the spice of the band's performances, without burying us under them and losing the original taste. A great way to season an evening's listening.